Guizhou Travel Tips

This page provides travel tips for visiting Guizhou Province, such as transportation, meals, hotels and some other tourist information.

Transportation

Most areas in Guizhou are mountainous areas. Roads linking cities are usually in good condition, but roads to and in the countryside are mostly in bad condition and might suffer from landslide in rainy season (June and July).

Most drivers have rich experience driving in mountainous areas, so they usually drive fast even the roads might seem dangerous to the passengers. If you don’t feel comfortable with fast driving, you can ask your tour guide to tell the driver to slow down.

Distance between villages and some attractions are quite far and usually takes at least 2 hours drive for a single trip.

Below is a table indicating rough distance and driving hours between major tourist destinations in Guizhou.

Below is a location map of major tourist destinations indicating distance in kilometers. Click the map for a larger version

Attractions On the Way

Major attractions in Guizhou are mostly ethnic villages. Famous Miao villages include Qingman, Jidao, Datang, Shidong and Basha. Famous Yao villages include Zhaoxing, Tang’an and Yintanxia. Miao people have fancy costumes and accessories, and they celebrate numerous festivals. Dong people's costumes and accessories are relatively simple, but their architecture is very unique with almost every village having wind and rain bridges and drum towers. Many ethnic villages in Guizhou still preserve their traditional way of life, and each village has their own features.

Condition of hotels and restaurants generally do not compare those in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In minority areas the facilities are very basic. Most hotels do not offer western breakfast, so our tour guide will prepare bread, butter and fruit in advance.

Guiyang cuisine is famous for sour and peppery flavor. If you don’t eat pepper, tell your tour guide in advance.

Be prepared that toilets in the countryside are either very dirty or natural toilets. Always bring your own tissues. Use the bathroom of your hotel before you hit the road, or embrace the experience with an open mind.

Nightlife in Guizhou is not very active, especially in the countryside where villagers go to bed very early.

Others

When in villages you may see some children. Prepare some small gifts like candies and pencils. If you have a Polaroid camera, a photo would be a commendable gift to children.

Simple greeting ceremony at the village is a good and unique way of experiencing the local customs.

Money changing and drawing services are not available in most places, especially in the countryside. Prepare enough cash when you are in big cities.

Traveling Time

Roads are usually not in good conditions in rainy season from June to July, while during dry season from March to May, the water flow at Huangguoshu Waterfalls is low. The best time to see Huangguoshu Waterfalls is from July to September, when there is abundant water and the scene is magnificent.

Attending festivals is a good and interesting way to see the local people’s life and customs. Ethnic people are fond of singing and dancing, so there will be many performances during the festivals, and visitors will see local people dressed in their most beautiful costumes and accessories. View major ethnic festivals in Guizhou Province.

When visiting in summer, bring mosquito repellent and umbrella/raincoat.